As the country gears up to shout three cheers to the Queen on her diamond jubilee, at Evans Cycles we’re also celebrating our own British heritage.

We are always happy to hear our bikes are weathering the years, and we were ecstatic to hear from Rod Leschasin, who bought a custom made British FW Evans bike frame on May 2 1981.

Rod contacted Evans HQ to tell us about the bike he bought from The Cut, which opened in the 70s and is still a busy Evans hub today.

The 20 inch British made frame was custom designed for Rod at The Cut, before being built up when he returned to his home town in Canada. He dressed the bike with Campangnolo hubs, pedals and brakes, Suntour front derailleur, Shimano Deore rear derailleur and a Specialized triple crankset.

Rod's custom FW Evans frame with his own components

Rod’s long serving bike was recently proclaimed “the best bicycle ever ridden” by his son, Derek, now 29. What Derek might not remember so well is the tour from Canada to Minnesota, which he spent in a Burley bicycle trailer, pulled by Rod on his F.W. Evans bike.

Rod and his wife, Joy, rode with Derek for ten days when Derek was only two-years-old. Both Rod and Joy rode FW Evans bikes purchased at the Cut. Rod said: “We stopped along the way for a couple of days rest. Derek enjoyed the tour, not being “cocooned” in the back seat of a car. We could stop immediately to attend to him. It was an interesting experience crossing the Canada USA border. We camped in a tent mostly. Along the route, we met bikers (motorcycle groups) who always waved to us.”

The family on their trip, on FW Evans bikes

Now 65, having purchased the bike aged 34, Rod still rides regularly. Describing his last ride on the ‘Evans’, he said: “I took the bike out on Friday for a 25K ride, and can tell you that it rode as smoothly as ever, and the gears shifted crisply.”

Rod with the FW Evans in 2012

We’re still busy as ever, now running 45 stores across the UK, and we returned to the traditional F.W. Evans tourer model to create a beauty of a bike on our 90th anniversary. We now also have our own branded fleet of Pinnacle bikes, too.

Rod has visited London repeatedly over the last few years, and said: “F.W. Evans still seems to be the place to go to if you want specialty items. It is encouraging to see that F.W. Evans has a new focus on British made bicycles. Your service hasn’t changed, as your staff is as helpful and courteous as ever.”